Rock of Ages

What better place to bare all – even as one's 50th birthday approaches – than in the pages of Playboy?

Tom Cruise, who hits the half-century mark in July, sat down for a candid and lengthy Q&A that appears in the magazine's June issue, on newsstands May 18. PEOPLE has been provided an exclusive first look.

Asked why he "sued over some particularly personal things that have been written about you and your family," Cruise tells Playboy, "They know I mean it, that if I have to, I will sue."

He also says, "Does refuting things help? Not really. There comes a point when you just have to go, 'You know what? Here's how I've lived my life: I've never been late to a set. I make films I believe in. I feel privileged to be able to do what I love.' You just have to keep going and remember that."

Who's the intense-looking dude in the shades, wide-brimmed hat and shaggy coat with the amazing abs peeking out? None other than Tom Cruise leading an all-star cast in the poster for the upcoming Rock of Ages based on the Broadway show and opening in movie theaters June 15.